Portable electric circuit cut-in



Feb. 6, 1934. w.' H. HINDMAN PORTABLE ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CUT-IN Filed Feb. 13, 1931 VEA/TOR Wil/iam H. Hind/mm @j @MJMWM i'ornys Patented Feb. 6, 19934 UNITD STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CUT-IN Application February 13, 1931. Serial No. 515,519

10 Claims.

My invention relates to a portable electric cut-in for attaching an electrical conducting cable to a bare conductor in order to cut in on a circuit, such instruments being principally used for diverting current for the supplying of power, or to short circuit a wire.

In this type of device an object and feature of my invention is to have the device fully insulated so there is no danger of the workman handling the cut-in coming in contact with metal parts whereby he may sustain an electric shock.

Another object and feature of my invention is having the electric cut-in provided with jaws, which jaws may automatically open when brought 16 into contact with and pressed against the wire carrying the circuit which is to be cut in; and in this connection a further detail object is after the wire has been engaged in the jaws to grip such wire whereby the cut-in tool will not become disengaged from such wire, and to form a good electrical conducting connection. v

Another detail object and feature of my invention is having the jaws themselves insulated except for the conducting surfaces or portions which engage the conducting wire, and providing a longitudinally movable sleeve type of insulation which may be utilized to clamp jaws and after such clamping cover substantially all the exposed metal parts.

A more detailed object and feature of my invention is to construct an electric cut-in with a fixed and a. movable jaw; the nxed jaw having a shank or stern to which stem is connected a conducting cable for carrying the electric current to the place desired. The movable jaw is hinged at .the

junction of the shank and the fixed jaw, both jaws having insulation on the outside. The shank has a slidable insulating sleeve and, in addition, a second insulating sleeve screw threaded thereon. The shank is also provided with a reduced portion with a third sleeve screw threaded on thelatter portion and engaging over the insulation of the diverting cable. By manipulation of the second screw threaded sleeve on the outside of the shank the jaws may be pressed together to grip a conducting wire.

My invention is illustrated in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation with the jaws closed and the device in position to engage a conducting wire taken in the direction of the arrow 1 of Fig. 4; l

Fig. 2 is a similar elevation with the device engaging such wire Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the lines 3-3 of Fig. 4 and 2-2 of Fig. 6 in the direction of the arrows, showing the jaws in their closed position;

Fig. 4 is an elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. l in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

In my construction I employ a main conducting body 11 which has a shank or stern 12, this having a cylindrical section 13 at one portion and a screw threaded section 14 at another. There is an inner end 15 of reduced diameter, also having a threaded section 16 and a socket 17 in this end. A conducting cable 18 is illustrated as having a conducting core 19 and an insulating cover 20. The core its in the socket 17 and is sweated or otherwise secured therein, the insulation butting against the end 21 of the reduced end of the shank.

A xed jaw 22 extends outwardly from the shank or stem portion 12 beyond the cylindrical section 13 and this has a at surface 23 with a recess 24 therein. This jaw gradually tapers from 80 the shank end to the tip end 26.

The moving jaw 27 is formed of metal and is connected to the fixed jaw by a hinged connection 28 having a pintle 29. This jaw has a flat surface 30 with a web or tongue 31 extending out- 85 wardly therefrom, this tongue having a transversely grooved section 32 for purposes hereinunder detailed. The moving jaw has a beveled tip 33. This jaw has a similar taper to the lixed jaw and has a flat base 34.

A pressure device 36 to normally maintain the jaws closed consists of a pin 37 slidably mounted in a socket 38 in the shank 12 and having a compression spring 39 normally pressing it outwardly. There is a sloping surface 40 on the end of the 95 shank to accommodate the tilting of the moving jaw. The end of the pin, it will be noted, engages directly against the metal base of the moving jaw.

The insulation consists of a rst sleeve or slidable collar 41 which is mounted on the cylindrical section 13 of the shank and a second sleeve 42 which has a screw thread 43 on the inside engaging with the thread 14 on the shank. This threaded section is of suiicient diameter so that the sleeve 42 may be threaded in opposite directions on the shank and may be brought to bear at its outer end against the collar 41. A third insulating sleeve 44 ts over the insulation 20 of the conducting cable18 and has a screw threaded section 45 threaded on the threads 16 on the inner reduced end of the shank. This third sleeve fits inside of the end of the second or outer insulating sleeve. These sleeves. preferably, have threads in different directions. For instance: The thread for the outer sleeve may be right handed and for the inner sleeve left handed, thus preventing unscrewing of the third sleeve 44 when the device is operated to shift the moving jaw.

The fixed jaw has an insulating cover 46 which at the edges is spaced from the surface 23. The moving jaw also has an insulating cover 48, the marginal edges also being spaced from the flat face of the jaw. The insulation 46 on the fixed jaw preferably terminates in a shoulder 47. The terminal shoulder 49 of the insulation on the movable jaw terminates short of the base 34 of the moving jaw against which the pin 37 operates. This base is of sufficient diameter so that it may be engaged by the collar 41. The outer end of the insulation 48 is beveled as indicated at 50, being in alignment with the surface 33.

In order to form a convenient hand grip, the sleeve 42 is provided with transverse corrugations 53, these forming spaces for the fingers and preventing the hand from sliding longitudinally of such sleeve when operating the device.

The manner of operation and functioning of the device is substantially as follows:

It will be understood that the conducting cable 18 is firmly secured in the socket 1'? so as to form a good electrical conductor and that the insulating sleeve 44 is tightly screw threaded in place, this giving an additional insulating protector over that of the insulation 20 of the conducting cable. Normally, the spring 39 presses the pin 3'7 outwardly and such pin in thrusting against the metal base of the moving jaw forces this jaw closed against the fixed jaw, the surfaces 23 and 30 being in contact. In this position the outer sliding sleeve 42 is retracted and the collar 41 is in the lowered position. The operator may then thrust the end of the tool against a conducting wire, such as indicated at 54.

This wire may be engaged by the outer portion of the flat face 23 of the iixed jaw and pressed against the outer beveled end of the moving jaw, this having the beveled surfaces 33 and 50, and such action wedges the moving jaw outwardly. The wire slides on the tongue 31 until it nts in the transverse groove 32. When a wire is so caught between the two jaws it engages the metal to metal portion of these jaws and, on account of the insulation terminating short of the contact surface, a slightly bent wire may be accommodated. The collar 41 is forced outwardly into engagement with the base 34 of the moving jaw by the sleeve 42 and exerts a firm pressure on the moving jaw and thereby clamps the wire between the two jaws. This action of moving the collar 41 causes the sleeve 42 and this collar to cover or close the major portion of the metal conducting surfaces which have been exposed to allow opening of the moving jaw, and, therefore, there is little danger of an operator receiving an electrical shock.

Manifestly, to let go of the conducting wire 54 it is only necessary to retract the outer sleeve 42, allowing the collar 4l to descend when a pull on the handle portion of the device causes the wire to ride on the tongue 31 and to free itself from the jaws, the moving jaws swinging outwardly against the pressure exerted by the spring 39 amd pin 37.

It will thus be seen that I have developed a portable electric cut-in which may readily be attached and detached to and from conducting wires and convey a current of comparatively high voltage and amperage or both to a conducting cable.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In an electric cut-in, a conducting body having a cylindrical shank with an insulating collar slidable thereon and an insulating sleeve to form a hand grip threaded thereon, the said body having a fixed jaw at one end and means for attaching a conducting cable at the other end, a movable jaw pivotally connected to the shank, a spring actuated means to normally operate said jaw to a closed position, the said sleeve being adapted to engage the collar and thrust the collar against the pivoted jaw only to clamp a conducting wire between the two jaws.

2. In an electric cut-in as claimed in claim 1, a cable connection comprising a socket in the shank and an inner insulating sleeve secured on the outside of the shank and fitting inside of the outer sleeve.

3. In an electric cut-in, a conducting body having a cylindrical shank, a fixed conducting jaw, and a pivoted conducting jaw, the said jaws having contacting faces when in the closed position, said faces being substantially in alignment with the shank, a spring means independent of the jaws to urge the pivoted jaw into closed position, said means yielding on thrusting a wire transversely between the two jaws, and an insulating sleeve shiftable longitudinally on the outside of the shank to thrust the moving jaw by a longitudinal pressure toward the fixed jaw and thereby clamp a conducting wire intermediate its ends between the two jaws.

4. In an electric cut-in, a conducting shank having an insulating cover on the outside and movable longitudinally of said shank, a fixed conducting jaw extending from one end of the shank and having a contact surface substantially in alignment with the center of the shank, the said shank having at its opposite end a means for attaching a conducting cable, a jaw pivotally mounted on the shank. a spring means mounted in the shank and urging said jaw into closed relation with the fixed jaw, the movable jaw having a contacting face, the insulating cover being engageable with the movable jaw only and urge same to grip a feed wire intermediate its ends between the two jaws, the said jaws having an insulating cover on the outside.

5. In an electric cut-in as claimed in claim 4, one of the jaws having a recess and the other having a tongue with a transverse groove therein, said groove being adapted to engage a conducting wire.

6. In an electric cut-in, a conducting shank having a fixed jaw at one end and means at the opposite end for connecting an electric cable, a pivotally mounted jaw pivoting on the shank, a spring means urging the pivoted jaw into closed relation with the xed jaw, said jaws when closed having a contacting face substantially in alignment with the shank, the movable jaw having a beveled outer edge to engage a conducting wire, one of the jaws having a recess and the other having a tongue with a transverse groove to accommodate such wire, and a movable insulating cover on the shank for engaging part of the movable jaw and to urge such jaw into a gripping relation with the fixed jaw, said insulating cover forming a protection over the said shank.

7. An electric cut-in comprising a metal cylindrical shank having a fixed jaw at one end and a socket at the opposite end to receive an electrical conductor, a slidable insulating collar on the shank, an outer insulating sleeve threaded on the shank, an inner insulating sleeve secured to the end of the shank opposite the jaw and forming a cover for the conducting cable, the shank having a beveled surface adjacent the iixed jaw and a moving jaw pivoted adjacent such surface, the shank having a socket with a spring therein and a pin urged by such spring into contact with the base of the moving jaw and urging such jaw into closed relation with the xed jaw, the said jaws having insulation on the outside, the outer sleeve when threaded toward the jaws forcing the collar into contact with the base of the moving jaw and thereby cause the gripping of a conducting wire between the two jaws.

8. An electric cut-in as claimed in claim '7, the end of the moving jaw and of the insulation thereon being beveled to facilitate spreading by thrusting against the conducting wire, one of said jaws having a longitudinal recess and the other having a longitudinal tongue with a transverse groove to engage the wire.

9. An electric cut-in having a shank with axed jaw in alignment therewith, a movable jaw having a base substantially at right angles to the shank, a movable insulating sleeve on the shank having means to engage said base and to move the movable jaw for gripping a feed wire between said jaws, the shank having a spring pressed pin mounted therein, said pin engaging the base of the movable jaw to normally hold said jaw in closed relation with the Xed jaw.

10. An electric cut-in having a conducting shank with a xed jaw at one end and in alignment therewith, and means at the opposite end for connecting a conducting cable, a movable jaw pivoted to the shank and having a base at substantially right angles to the shank, a spring means urging the movable jaw into closed position, a slidable insulating collar on the shank, a screw threaded sleeve on the shank to engage the collar and to force the collar into engagement with the base of the movable jaw and to thereby cause the gripping of a feed wire between the JaWS.

WILLIAM H. HINDMAN. 

